The invention is directed to an information display system for at least one person.
Information display systems for persons or users can be versatilely employed. One example is for conveying information to the driver of a vehicle, for example of a motor vehicle. In order to inform the driver of information, for example about the traffic situation, electronic routing and information systems can be attached to the dashboard of a motor vehicle. The systems are preferably installed at optimally high positions, i.e. close to the windshield. Other devices for information display can be secured with a mount or a pivot arm to the right of the steering wheel, given left-hand steering, and optimally high at the dashboard. All of these installation measures, however, demand that the driver look away from the road to the information display system. Further, the driver must change the focal setting of its eye from infinite to the short distance to the display system. Persons having imperfect vision potentially need different eye glasses for this purpose. Moreover, the displays are usually small. Future studies indicate a large display that attached in the proximity of the windshield on the dashboard counsel. The problem of different distance vision is then in fact is diminished but not yet entirely eliminated. Moreover, large displays are expensive.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an information display system that presents information optimally well, wherein adequate legibility of an output display is also still assured given movement of the viewer. This problem is solved in an information display system according to the present invention.
Given the present inventive information display system, the information to be communicated to a person is generated on an output display at a location that is not critical for use. With the assistance of first and second optical means, the presentation of information generated by the output display can then be mirrored into the direction of view of the user and a virtual image of the presentation can be simultaneously generated at a distance from the user. Finally, an operating arrangement is advantageously provided with which the information to be displayed can be called in a simple way.
It is advantageous that the second optical means is a pane arranged in the direction of view of the user that, for example, is already present, in the case of a windshield in a motor vehicle.
In order to disturb the field of view of the user or driver as little as possible, it is advantageous to mirror the presentation of the information close to the bottom edge or to the top edge or perpendicularly aligned at the right-hand or left-hand edge of the pane.
In order to make the location of mirroring the information into the pane and, thus, the location of the virtual image adjustable, it is advantageous to likewise adjustably arrange the output display or to realize the first optical means such that they are pivotable. For example, a concave mirror can thereby be employed as first optical means, this being arranged in the viewing direction of the user and mirroring the presentation into the viewing direction of the user and which, moreover, can also be pivotably implemented in order to make the location of the creation of the virtual image adjustable. The concave mirror can then be arranged such that the output display can be closed with it.
The output display can be operated such that it generates a presentation of the information composed of at least two sub-regions, the one sub-region thereof exhibiting no interaction possibility with the user and the other sub-region exhibiting units or devices that can be addressed with the operating arrangement.
The output display can then be selected by the user via the operating arrangement and the information displayed thereat can be selected. The sub-regions can, for example, represent maps, excerpts from maps or possible settings of the operating arrangements. One sub-region can thereby represent a map and the virtual image can thereby represent a selectable, magnified excerpt from the map and the map.
It can be advantageous to implement the second optical means such that the virtual images can be seen by more than one person, whereby the persons can call the information to be displayed independently from one another with the operating arrangement. However, it is also possible that only one person can call the information to be displayed with the operating arrangement and, thus, can play the information for, for example, the driver of a motor vehicle, the driver needing this information at the moment and then not having to actuate the operating arrangement.
In order to have the presentations output by the output display always fall within the eye of the user, it is advantageous to provide a video camera directed onto the person that identifies the location of the eyes of the person or of the user and tracks them and correspondingly controls the first optical means, for example the concave mirror.
There are various solutions for the realization of the operating arrangement. An operating means having a navigator that can be operated blind, for example with operating elements and/or with voice input means, can be provided as an operating arrangement, as can an answer back arrangement that acknowledges the operating events and provides prompts for further operating steps that can be implemented.
It could be advantageous to implement the voice input means as a directional microphone. It is then advantageous to make the directional lobe for command input pivotable and to always align it to the mouth of the user, for example the driver. Such an operating arrangement can also be implemented such that a video camera directed onto the person and image recognition software are provided with which the position of the mouth of the user is identified and with which the microphone is accordingly controlled such that it is always directed onto the mouth of the user. When the operating arrangement is provided in a motor vehicle, it is advantageous to arrange the video camera in the area of the windshield and to align it onto the mouth of the driver in order to accordingly set the sensitivity maximum of the directional characteristic of the microphone toward the mouth.
In order to effectively implement the blind operation concept, an answer back arrangement is provided that advantageously exhibits an acoustic voice output. It is also advantageous that, given a number of operable devices, for example a motor vehicle and a telephone, a virtual image of the selected device is provided on a display.
In addition to comprising the voice output, the answer back arrangement can also comprise a visual display means, wherein the visual means can be arranged in the operating means but can also be arranged in the device to be operated. The devices to be operated can thus be displayed with the visual display means, but symbolized operating elements of the operating means that can be operated by the navigator can also be displayed.
It is also advantageous when the visual display means presents the operating events at the devices in that the symbolized operating elements can be dynamically changed by the operation. The operating means that the navigator comprises can be a hand-held operating device, for example a handset for remote control, that can additionally comprise a chip set for legitimization functions or similar functions.
Such a handset employable for the remote control of the devices to be operated is advantageously expediently fashioned when the software required for the operation, which is normally contained in the device to be operated, is automatically loaded into the handset when this is employed for operating the device for the first time.
The navigator of the operating means, however, can also be implemented as a control field that is advantageously arranged in the proximity of the hand position of the user. This solution is particularly meaningful when used in a motor vehicle since the control field can be integrated, for example, into the steering wheel.
Further, the operating means can comprise a microphone with voice recognition means, which enables operation with the assistance of voice. It is then advantageous when the voice recognition means comprises different speech models adapted to the device to be operated.
The operating elements contained in the navigator advantageously enable movement in three dimensions that can be blindly distinguished by the operator. Keys, rollers, wheels and rotary knobs can be employed as operating elements. An operating means with a navigator is especially advantageous when the navigator has keys as operating elements, namely a key for voice and five operating keys, in which four keys form two directional key pairs perpendicular to one another and the fifth key can be employed for actuating a selection.
In order to implement a number of functions with few operating elements, it is advantageous to at least partially allocate multiple functions to individual operating elements. The selection of the functions can then be achieved, for example, in that a key is actuated for different lengths of time. An allocation of the operating elements to the devices can then be realized such that, proceeding from a selected device, a branch can be made on demand into arbitrary, lower levels, whereby a list of the available devices can be addressed on the highest level and functions and sub-functions of these devices can be addressed in the lower levels.
Particular advantages of the operating arrangement lie therein that the operating events have a simple logic which can be reproducibly reduced to operation with few operating elements or which can be imaged. The operation to of such a general input structure can be blindly undertaken after a short training phase when, for example, keys are used that have pronounced, tactile shapes or an arrangement that is easy to memorize and can be employed in many different situations and nonetheless exhibit similar or analogous effect. The object of the invention achieved via a display that is mainly a voice output but that can be supported by a visual display means.
The invention thus combines an intuitively and blindly operable navigator for manipulation of functions of the devices comprising, for example, a minimum keyboard or a voice input and answer back arrangement, realized as acoustic voice output or additionally realized as visual display means. Operation or use of one or more devices are thereby combined as virtual devices and are symbolically or texturally displayed on a display. As a result of this division into virtual devices, a number of physically separate devices can be successively operated with one operating device.
A further embodiment of the information display system is described in greater detail in the following paragraphs of the specification.
The invention also makes it possible that, with the assistance of video projection techniques, large display areas can be achieved for the costs of small displays. The brightness for the viewer can be enhanced with a back-projection display and/or a mirrored head-up display that can be darkened by using prescribable illumination beam paths and can become particularly effective by tracking the pupil, particularly in the eye of the observer.
It is advantageous to employ a projection display as an output display (A-DIS) with which the information is visualized either projected into the windshield (head-up display) or in the region of the dashboard. The windshield can be optionally equipped with reflection-enhancing and/or reflection-reducing layers at the surface portions required for the reflection. The projection display can be implemented as composed of a video display (for example, LCD display that can be illuminated from behind), a light source for the trans-illumination and an adjustment means for the display and/or the light source.
In a motor vehicle, for example, it is advantageous when the information display system contains a video back-projection that can be arranged in the space under the dashboard. Further, a projection screen, optionally of plastic or glass with medium or disappearing diffuseness, can be arranged in or at the dashboard and highly visible to the observer. The means for the back-projection itself can be composed of a lamp, a prescribably small video display and optical elements for enlargement that are arranged such that a real, enlarged image of the video display is cast from the small video display onto the projection screen.
Further, at least one prism that deflects the illumination beam path to the eye of the observer and/or one lens that focuses the light into eye of the observer can be arranged in the immediate proximity of the projection screen.
Optionally, the prism and the illumination lens can, respectively or in combination with the projection screen, be implemented as Fresnel prisms or Fresno lenses. It is advantageous when, given an appropriate roughening, they assume the function of the diffusion of the projection screen.
Mechanical or motorized adjustment means of the illumination source (lamp) or of the illumination beam path in general can be employed so that optimum view of the projection display can be guaranteed for observers of different sizes or when an observer changes his seating position.
Further, a mirror box can be employed that is bounded on all sides by walls and in which the projection display projects through an opening or transparent location of a wall and that uses the projection screen as a wall and that contains at least one mirror in the beam path. Alternatively, the projection display can also be located in the mirror box. A deflection means (mirror) can thereby be arranged in the mirror box such that the beams of the projection display are directed to the eyes of the observer (site tracker). Preferably, the deflection means is arranged close to the projection screen and is moved with mechanical or electromechanical drives. At least one tilting mirror or oppositely turned prisms can be employed as deflection means.
The illumination beam path can be balanced with the assistance of an image evaluation of the video camera and the described, adjustable deflection means such that it is incident into the eyes of the observer. A means for control can readjust the illumination beam path until the video camera identifies maximum brightness in the face.
It is also advantageous when a mirror having a curvature is provided in the mirror box preceding the projection screen. Dependent on the attitude, this mirror can thereby co-assume a part of the imaging properties of the imaging objective and/or of the light bundling. As a result of the curvature, the geometry of the beam path can be adapted better to the existing space given the same imaging conditions. The mirror can thereby either be concave close to the projection screen and, thus, already effect/simplify the light bundling onto the face of the viewer as a result of a correspondingly prescribable curvature or the mirror close to the projection screen can be convex and thus enabling a tight installation design. Given the convex mirror, it is advantageous to arrange a lens or a Fresnel lens that directs the light bundling into the face of the observer in the region of the projection screen.
The curved mirror can also advantageously be aspherical. A true-to-area imaging onto, for example, the windshield is thus initially foregone. However, the true-to-area imaging can be calculated by electronic pre-distortion on the video display. The distortion caused by the curvature of the windshield and dependent on the viewer""s position can thus be compensated in that the video display presents a distortion inverse thereto and mirrors this into the windshield. Since a different distortion arises for every seated position of the observer, a different image must also be mirrored in from the video display for each seated position. It can also be advantageous to interpolate intermediate values. By observing the driver, the video camera supplies the necessary position coordinates, so that the image to be respectively displayed on the video display is correspondingly electronically distorted. The production of pre-distorted images can ensue by trials or can be calculated with CAD data of the windshield and beam path calculation programs.
An advantageous development of the information display system is comprised of a means for regulating the brightness of the video display, in that grey filters (neutral density filters) or polarization filters rotatable relative to one another are arranged to be pivoted in in order to absorb light. These filters are required when the electronic darkening of the light source is not adequate and the video display also does not allow any further darkening.
It is also advantageous when the illumination means, which is controllable in brightness, contains a secondary lamp in addition to a principal lamp, and that optical means are provided in the beam path such as, for example, a partially reflective mirror, that allows the two light sources to appear virtually as one light source. It is thereby advantageous when the principal lamp is the stronger lamp and its light is allowed to pass with priority by the partially reflective mirror. This principal lamp is employed given extremely bright scenes. Given dark scenes, for example at night, the prescribable more weakly illuminating secondary lamp can then be utilized. In the case of a malfunction of a lamp, the lamp that is still functioning can assume an emergency display function.
The information display system can advantageously contain a video camera above the windshield (as an example in a motor vehicle) that observes the viewer, particularly the face of the viewer. This illumination beam path can preferably be modified such that the light energy is incident into the eyes of the viewer. It is thereby advantageous that additional illumination can be eliminated and, for example, darkness prevails in the car except for at the circle of the face of the viewer of the information display system.
The brightness of the information display system can be advantageously automatically adapted to the brightness of the observed scene. Let it be noted that xe2x80x9cscenexe2x80x9d here means the traffic situation observed with reference to the example of an employment of the information center in the motor vehicle. The possibility of adjusting the brightness of the display elements regardless of a possibly existing, automatic brightness adaptation should be individually reserved for the viewer.
A reference surface that, for example, represents the face of the viewer or, on the other hand, the inside roof lining in the motor vehicle can serve in the automatic brightness adaptation of the scene to the viewer. The measurement of the brightness with a light meter or with the video camera itself is thereby advantageous. A distinction between natural light and light generated by ambient street light and the light deriving from the video projection can be undertaken by modulation and demodulation of the video light (frame-by-frame evaluation of the information supplied by the video camera).
The information display system can be advantageously composed of two separate projection displays, one for the projection onto the dashboards and one for the head-up display. Two separate projection displays have the advantage of redundancy given outage of one projection display.
On the basis of displaceable regions, the viewer can be offered the possibility of selecting between the information that the viewer wishes to see on the dashboards and/or on the head-up display. The displaceable unit is composed of a Fresnel prism for deflection and an illumination lens for bundling the illumination beam path.
It is also advantageous to employ a single projection display that, with a Fresnel prism/lens plate, nests the prism elements and lens elements required for beam deflection and focusing in both directions in alternation.
The projection display can be heated to operating temperature with a pre-heater unit.
A replacement illumination means is advantageous when the illumination means (lamp) fails. An automatic switching to the replacement illumination is also expedient.
When the readjustment means for monitoring the position of the face of the viewer of the information display system fails, then a standard setting must be selected for observing the projection display. This, for example, can be the position at which the driver of the motor vehicle has been most frequently located.
The employment of a readjustment means is also advantageous that is configured such that a mirror that bends the beam path is inserted between the light source and the video display. The adjustment of the mirror can ensue electronically or electromechanically in two axes. It can be expedient when the readjustment means does not proportionally level every minute change in position; rather, readjustment is only carried out given the occurrence of a prescribable deflection amplitude, for example movement of the viewer by more than half the viewer""s head width. The service life of the motor operators is thus enhanced.
It is also expedient when means are provided that can electronically shift the image on the video display such that an optimally large portion of the image is offered to the viewer, even given a great change in the viewer""s position. The video display can thereby be realized as over-dimensioned, so that a medium position of the image is projected into the field of view during normal operation. When the viewer then changes in position, the image on the display can be electronically shifted such that the illumination beam path still always visibly displays the entire image to the viewer. When the viewer moves beyond the limit that is still possible to allow the complete presentation of the image for the viewer by shifting the image on the video display, then the image can be electronically further modified, for example made smaller, so that the viewer is still offered the complete information. This embodiment of the information display system achieves the same effect as though the projector were being displaced, so that the viewer can continue to follow the illumination beam path. The electronic movement of the image on the video display (scrolling a reduced image on the video display) thus corresponds to a virtual projector.
One embodiment of the information display system is comprised in providing of a multi-media environment in rows of seats such as, for example, found in a bus, train or airplane. A multi-media means is integrated into the back rest of the seat in front of the user.
A xe2x80x9cmulti-media seatxe2x80x9d is composed of a chair with seating surface and back rest. An arrangement of multimedia seats provides a further chair standing in front of the chair, whereby the seating surfaces in the chairs of a first row can be eliminated and the back rests in a last row can be implemented simplified. The back rests of preceding chairs have video presentation capability, as needed, have additional components such as a loudspeaker, a headphone, a microphone, a video camera and further interaction elements such as, for example, a mouse, a keyboard, a track ball, a pin, a touch pad, a zap navigator, a virtual duck screen and an interface with a fixed cable plug connection, infrared or radio with individual addressing capability for each chair.
Advantageously, the video presentation capability is implemented like the above-described output display.
When a video camera is part of the multi-media seat, then the video camera, as disclosed in the case of the information display system, will track the face of the viewer in order to assure that the light for the image to be presented is incident to the viewer""s eyes. Further, as described, a microphone lobe can track the mouth of the speaker.
Further, at least one loudspeaker can be integrated in the ear area of the multi-media seat, whereby, given the presence of a number of loudspeakers for viewers differing in size, the correct loudspeaker can be selected with the assistance of the video camera.
Individual communication via DECT and/or GSM in each multi-media seat is a further advantageous application.
Another embodiment of the invention combines a number of display devices to form a unit. Thus, a first display means located, for example, in the dashboards and that can be fashioned as a traditional display or as a back-projection display can be combined with a second display means that is projected into the dashboard of a motor vehicle in the form of a projection display, for example as a head-up display. The combination is thereby expediently comprised therein that the first and the second display means can be selected and used as a unit.
Advantageously, the invention can be developed such that the head-up display is implemented as variable in size. Thus, a finite list composed of telephone numbers from which the driver wishes to select a specific name can be displayed in the combined display means. When further possibilities are available for selection, the desired term from the displayed list is selected with a prescribable input unit. It is thereby possible to present the most probable hit of a search for the desired term at the head of the list, i.e. in the head-up display, and as optimally as possible in the field of vision of the user, by contrast improbable hits in the search are displayed farther toward the bottom, for example in the back-projection display.
Advantageously, the head-up display can thereby be used in order to flexibly present a variable-size region in the field of view of the user.
In the specific example, when driving a motor vehicle, the invention is embodied as a combination of traditional display devices in the dashboard, whereby these can also be optically projected, and of a head-up display that is projected into the region of the windshield and is variable in size.
As already indicated above, the information can be presented prioritized on the combined display units, whereby high-priority information are brought farther into the field of vision of the user. What is thereby assumed to be the field of vision is the angle of view that results from the user observing the traffic situation.
An advantageous embodiment of the invention is comprised in fashioning the first part of the arrangement exactly as wide as the second part of the arrangement, so that the unit of the combined display means is conveyed at first sight. Moreover, the two parts of the arrangement are implemented wider than high, whereby the second part of the arrangement (the head-up display) is variable in height.
It is also advantageous when a bright background is selected for the first part of the arrangement for the presentation of characters and/or symbols.